Thompson Trip Not On Taxpayers

SPRINGFIELD — Gov. James Thompson is taking his wife to Paris to hear the symphony, but Illinois taxpayers are not being asked to pay for the three-day European excursion.

Thompson and his wife, Jayne, will meet conductor Georg Solti and members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Paris Jan. 25 and hold a reception in the French capital that night, which is the night of the concert. The orchestra is on a 19-day European tour.

The Paris trip is one of several that Thompson has planned or taken recently to promote tourism and business expansion in Illinois.

Part of the symphony`s tour is being financed with a $250,000 tourism grant from the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs. Airfare for the Thompsons is being paid by Trans World Airlines, said Susan Mogerman, an assistant press secretary to the governor. Mogerman said major air carriers are participating in the state`s effort to increase Illinois tourism business. IN PARIS, the Thompsons will be the guests of U.S. Ambassador Evan G. Galbraith in the American Embassy.

In a statement, Thompson said the symphony is a ``resource that can be used to promote our state to the rest of the world.``

The Paris trip follows trips by Thompson in the last month to Japan, Houston and Detroit to promote economic development for Illinois, a job to which the governor is devoting more time than in the past.

The governor was in Japan for a week last month at state expense to promote Illinois to Japanese industry for expansion of their American plants. Auto manufacturer Mitsubishi reportedly is considering Illinois sites, including one near Bloomington, for a plant that would employ about 1,000 workers. Thompson has said he thinks the move could be attributed to the number of trips he has taken to Japan since becoming governor.

THOMPSON ALSO has scheduled a two-week economic development trip to Japan, Hong Kong and China March 7-21.

Thompson recently went to Houston to discuss the use of Rock Island`s Farmall plant with officials of Tenneco and has been in Detroit twice to talk with automakers.